Despite evidence that digital marketing is a growing field, nearly 40% of the UK’s working population lacks digital skills. Mark Wright of digital marketing company Climb Online explains that, unfortunately, this isn’t very surprising. Facebook advertising and Google advertising have only been around for 5-10 years, after all. However, economist and former cabinet secretary Gus O’Donnell stresses that the UK could get left behind if it doesn’t immediately become “highly competitive globally” in these new skills.

Industry leaders across the world have been investing heavily in their digital marketing teams, with the 2022 CMO survey finding that digital marketing spending accounts for 57.1% of marketing budgets. Using the latest tech innovations, digital marketing enables businesses to harness unique data, with digital marketing agency Ayima listing skills such as technical SEO, e-commerce SEO, and content SEO among the few that allow companies to stand out from the competition. With the expected development of newer tools from artificial intelligence to augmented reality, it is clear that the field of digital marketing will only grow exponentially in the next few years.

If you still have doubts about the potential of a career in digital marketing, this article is for you. Let’s take a closer look at why you should consider digital marketing as a career below.

Digital marketing is in-demand

To try to bridge the skills gap, the UK government has promised a skills “revolution” by providing opportunities for adults to retrain and “upskill”. The £3 million pilot Fast Track Digital Workforce Fund, launched by the DMCS in 2019, supported over 14 projects in 2020 to boost the digital skills of over 740 Greater Manchester and Lancashire residents. With We Are Digital, they also empowered local residents to find careers in digital marketing whilst providing a focus on soft skills, mentorship, job shadowing as well as technical skills training.

This tells us that a career in digital marketing is well-supported and in high demand across the country. Job seekers in the field will not have a difficult time landing a position, and possibly even negotiating better pay and benefits.

Digital marketers have job security

Job security is a growing concern, especially with how World Economic Forum reports expect artificial intelligence (AI) to replace 85 million jobs worldwide by 2025. Thankfully, digital marketers can rest easy. CEO Grant McDougall of AI brand strategy platform BlueOcean writes that AI is a collaborator, not a replacement. AI will enable real-time personalised marketing efforts at scale and leverage predictive analytics to produce actionable recommendations — all the while reducing the risk of human error. However, marketing will always need the human touch.

Digital marketers are in incredible demand precisely due to the non-compromisable need for human perspective to truly connect with customers. This is what allows marketing to use emotional and relational elements like storytelling, compassion and empathy. To that end, digital marketers are at no risk of being replaced by machines in the foreseeable future.

Digital marketing can be done remotely

Most digital marketing tasks are completed online and independently. This gives digital marketers the ability to work from anywhere, whether under marketing firms or with direct clients. This can be a very enticing work setup for employees who value flexibility and creativity in their day-to-day activities. Among the list of large companies that frequently hire for remote digital marketing jobs include Robert Half International, The Sage Group, and UnitedHealth Group.

With the right preparation, a job in digital marketing can make a very rewarding career experience. Those new to the field can start with our Level 2 courses in digital marketing, while those with more experience can work on upskilling their knowledge with our Level 3 Digital Marketing course, which aims to secure employment within digital and creative industries.

For more skills and qualifications, our courses at Manchester Adult Education are open to every learner looking to develop their confidence.

Prepared by: Jeline Bruesse

Article for: www.manadulted.org.uk